This invention relates to cages for birds and other small animals, and more particularly to a cage incorporating a self cleaning feature.
It is well known that cleaning of bird cages is one of the least attractive features of owning birds. Not only is there the problem of disposing of body wastes, but the birds tend to drop and scatter seeds and seed husks over a significant area. If accessible to insects they Will be drawn to a dirty bird cage also. Thus, it is necessary to clean the floor of bird cages frequently which is never a pleasant task.
Applicant is aware of designs of bird cages which include structure for facilitating the manual cleaning of bird cages such as those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,815,549; 3,834,352; and 4,617,873. A self-cleaning cage for small animals is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,498,421 which includes a belt movable over rollers beneath a perforated bottom to catch wastes including a scraper for scraping wastes off the belt, a waste collector and a cleaning pan for collecting liquids, the device further including steam cleaning means for cleaning the belt. While such a cleaning system may be effective for certain types of caged small animals, it appears somewhat more elaborate and involved than required for bird cages.